Farewell (for now) to "Somebody Somewhere," the best TV show you weren't watching

by Lynn Lee

And now a break from our regularly scheduled awards season programming for a shout-out to a small, exquisite, severely under-sung TV series that just concluded its three-season run.  The HBO dramedy Somebody Somewhere ended like it began – with no fanfare but with a lot of love, both from those who made it and from the few of us who were watching it.  For the rest of you, it may be just the show you need to shore up your faith in humanity – something that feels like it’s in short supply these days...

Created by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, Somebody Somewhere was conceived and written for its star, Bridgett Everett.  Everett plays Sam Miller, a middle-aged woman who returns to her small Kansas hometown to care for her cancer-stricken sister; the show begins after the death of that sister (whom we never see), with Sam still grappling with her grief and feeling adrift.  Over the course of the series, she gradually finds her place in the community, thanks in large part to her platonic friendship with Joel (Jeff Hiller), a former high school classmate.

And that’s it.  Talk about low concept!  Frankly it’s kind of a miracle the show lasted as long as it did at HBO, although it did win a Peabody award and picked up a smattering of indie award nominations during its run.  It doesn’t feature any big stars, flashy visuals, or plot twists.  There’s no violence; in fact there doesn’t seem to be any crime, or even a visible police station, in Manhattan, KS (Everett’s actual hometown, though the show was shot in the Chicago exurbs).  Any sex generally happens offscreen, and while there are significant romantic developments, they’re not really the focus of the show.  Even the humor is – apart from the occasional sex or poop joke – gentle and understated, the kind that springs from the human comedy of daily existence and the foibles of one’s family, friends, and frenemies.  To the extent Somebody Somewhere is “about” anything, it’s fundamentally about finding yourself, finding your voice – literally in Sam’s case, as she’s a gifted singer who’s self-conscious about performing – and finding your people.  The end result is some of the best TV I’ve seen in years.  It’s a cliché to call something a “slice of life,” but this really is that, distilled into its simplest, most affirming essence.

Everett is of course a big part of why it works, though what’s most remarkable about her performance here is how un-showy it is and how generous to her co-stars.  She previously got some notice for her supporting turn as the alcoholic mom in Patticake$ and has had small roles in Unbelievable and other TV series and movies, but up till now she’s been best known – at least in NY circles – for her comedy cabaret act.  While I haven’t seen it, by all accounts her live performing style is bawdy, uninhibited, and larger than life.  In Somebody Somewhere, by contrast, her outwardly pleasant, inwardly insecure Sam is constantly shrinking away from exposing herself to others.  It takes her a long time to get to the point where she’s willing to put herself out there, at least for the people she cares about. 

These include Joel and his eventual love interest Brad (a lovely Tim Bagley), as well as jocund local soil engineer Fred Rococo (Murray Hill).  The fact that Joel and Brad are gay and devoutly Christian, or that Fred is trans, is presented without any particular emphasis, which makes certain aspects of their characters’ development later in the show all the more organic and deeply moving.  As for Sam’s biological family, while her parents are largely sidelined after season 1 (due to the unexpected death of Mike Hagerty, who played her dad), one of the show’s joys is watching the evolution of her relationship with her surviving sister Tricia (Mary Kay Garrison).  Garrison is a fiercely funny force of nature as the prickly go-getter Tricia, who’s temperamentally the polar opposite of Sam, initially hostile and often intensely irritating, yet ultimately endearing. 

But the beating heart of Somebody Somewhere is, without a doubt, Sam’s friendship with Joel.  While Joel has to do the heavy lifting, especially at first, to draw Sam out, it becomes quickly apparent that they’re destined to be BFFs.  Hiller and Everett have such terrific chemistry it’s just a natural high to watch the two of them hanging out, whether they’re exchanging dirty jokes or heartfelt confidences.  Hiller’s smile when Joel is with Sam is enough to light up all of Manhattan (either Manhattan), and particularly in season 3, as we see more of what’s in Joel’s heart, his character and their bond gain even greater luminosity and – dare I say it in the Christian sense – grace.

Am I sad the series is ending, after three 7-episode seasons?  Yes and no.  On the one hand I could go on watching Sam, Joel, and company pretty much forever.  On the other, the finale left them all in a good place, albeit still with room to grow and work to do, both on themselves and their relationships – which, again, is so much like real life.  (Like each of the previous seasons, this one ends with Everett/Sam singing – and it’s a great progression to observe from the tentativeness of season 1 Sam to her letting it rip, Everett-style, at the end of season 3.)  I wouldn’t mind a movie down the line à la Looking, to check in with these folks, and Everett and the show’s creators haven’t ruled that out.  In the meantime, though, it’s been such emotional comfort food having the show as it is, especially at a time when I’ve been seriously questioning my own connection to my fellow human beings. 

When asked how she felt about the show’s resonance in the wake of the election, Everett responded:

It’s not resistance, but there’s something about showing people of all walks of life, wanting the same things that everybody else does.  They want to be happy and healthy and safe.  There’s nothing wrong with kindness and there’s nothing wrong with trying to understand each other.  If we ever did more of the show, we would just stay the course.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.  By some peculiar alchemy, Somebody Somewhere makes the sight of ordinary people being kind and empathetic with each other incredibly compelling and, yes, heartwarming, without ever being cloying or sentimental.  It makes you believe you can go home again after all – that you will find a community that makes you feel accepted and loved.  And what escapist fantasy could be more appealing than that?

Comments

[davidandwaffles]

My favourite show in years! So funny and tender and learning to be open-hearted. Emphasis on funny.
I happy cried through every episode.
(and checked my house for nanny cams because half of what Joel said or did was me, and I'm pretty sure they stole my life rights.)

[Peggy Sue]

Loved the show. This season in particular.

Tim Bagley should be in the awards conversation for his Thanksgiving scene.

I don't get the last paragraph. I don't think Bridget's character votes and the sister -great work this season too- reads to me like the 'I don't want to pay taxes' type - specially now that she has money.

[Lynn Lee]

davidandwaffles - yeah, I felt after writing that I hadn't emphasized enough just how funny it is, because what's so amazing about it to me is how it manages to be funny without being one speck mean-spirited...which is rare these days. "Midwestern nice" may or may not be a real thing (I grew up in the Midwest and I'm not sure it is), but if it is, it would look like this.

Peggy Sue - sort of relatedly, it isn't so much that the show or the characters speak directly to the election. Both are emphatically apolitical. It's more that to the extent one finds the election's outcome, and general reactions to it, demonstrate a staggeringly widespread lack of empathy and kindness, this show is like a rock in how unfalteringly it champions those qualities and how naturally it embodies them.

[Peter Rafai]

this show is my favorite in years—so funny and tender! I happy-cried through every episode. Joel? Half the stuff he says feels ripped from my life. I even joked with my friends that they must have nanny cams in my house!

Tim Bagley was incredible this season, especially in that Thanksgiving scene. He absolutely deserves awards buzz—it was perfection.

What I love most is how funny the show is without being mean-spirited, which is so rare these days. I was saying in our whatsapp group how it’s all about empathy and kindness, without being preachy. It’s like a comforting reminder of how wonderful those qualities are.

We even debated the characters on the group chat. Someone thought Bridget wouldn’t vote, while her sister screams “I don’t want to pay taxes” now that she’s rich. It’s fun to speculate!

I even made a poll on whatsapp about favorite moments. Joel’s lines won, but Bagley’s Thanksgiving scene came close. This show is like a hug for the soul—funny, heartfelt, and so worth watching.